This article looks at the real life difficulties a family faces when they immigrate to another country. How they cope with building a new life is worth pondering over.
TAKING STOCK
Anup Sarkar was one of the 27,812 Indians who immigrated to Canada in 2002. He came with big suitcases, bigger dreams and his family – Lata, his wife, and his seven year old daughter Shruti.
Both Anup and Lata had high-paying jobs in Kolkata – they were professionals in technology and marketing. In their tiny one-bedroom apartment in Mississauga, a city 45 minutes from downtown Toronto, they commemorate their first year as immigrants.
“When we look back, the first thing we notice is that reality is different from dreams. And that you can never really know how it is to be an immigrant until you are actually in a foreign country, with a few hundred dollars and your suitcases with you. Whatever you do to prepare, nothing is ever like the reality,” says Anup. At the time of writing this article, he is working at a telemarketing job, making $10 an hour. His wife travels over one and a half hours each way to her job in suburban Brampton, where she is an office clerk.
Their story is like a thousand others. Everyone knows some horror stories about highly qualified immigrants forced to accept jobs in supermarkets, bagging bananas and lettuce.
What emerged when I spoke to many Indian families who were recent immigrants to Canada is a consensus about the ups and downs in their emotional graphs.
What make people immigrate to another country? Leaving behind the familiar, the security of their homeland with it’s good and bad times, takes a strength of mind and well-defined purpose. Professionals who immigrate from India often have very good jobs with steady pay packets, a future of assured financial comfort and almost all the accoutrements that any one in the West has. India has all the gadgets and gizmos if you are willing to pay. Then why do they uproot?
“I came for my children’s education. I wanted to give them a better chance, a better opportunity,” says Asit Desai, an engineer based in Mississauga.
His wife, Madhuri reflects on their initial year as immigrants, “At first, before we came here, we were extremely upbeat. We did a lot of research, spent a lot of time on the Internet looking up anything to do with Canada. We read plenty of books and had a wonderful time, planning for our future in the land of opportunity. It seemed like a great adventure as we stood waving goodbye to out relatives in Mumbai’s Sahar airport. Even when we landed here, for the first few months, I admired everything about this country. I loved the quiet wide roads, the greenery, the weather, everything!”
Pushpa Ramani, her neighbour agrees, “Yes, I particularly admired the library system, which is really terrific, more than anything else. We attended all the cultural events, immersed ourselves in the local scene and took trips to the breath-taking Niagara Falls. But even the Niagara Falls, if seen very often, begins to pall!”
Experts who have studied this phenomenon say it is very common. When immigrants first come to their adopted country, there is always a sense of expectation and excitement. Once regular routine sets in, it is very difficult to maintain that high level of positivism. Lata says, “It is natural to some extent to think back to what you had in your home country. I catch myself remembering that we had a maid servant to do the housework, a much bigger house and certainly more spending power. It’s difficult not to think about these things when I am scrubbing after-dinner vessels at 10 in the evening.”
Sujata, a housewife, who migrated with her family to Canada from Kuwait, three years ago, can’t help looking back.
“The thing that I miss the most is going home every year. My husband’s company paid for our tickets every year, so we got to see our parents and relatives regularly. Our children had a deeper connection with our families in India. Here, it is impossible to think about going home every year. I am afraid my children will slowly lose touch with their grandparents and cousins.” According to Anup, the agents through whom he had his immigration papers processed in India, were adept at drawing rosy pictures about life in Canada.
“They held all sorts of seminars and get-togethers for the people who had applied through them. We were shown slides and tables and graphs about employment statistics and a world class lifestyle. The offices of these agents were well-furnished, in a posh corporate district and the people employed were smooth talking, promising a complete change in life-style for one’s family. It is hard not to be carried away. Too much of a build-up and then you are bound to come down with a crash!”
He recalls when he had first landed in Toronto, the agents put him up in a dingy shared accommodation. Then they ‘invited’ the new immigrants to a tour of downtown Toronto for a fee. Standing below the CN Tower, the agent collected $2 from all those who wanted coffee. “They did not have the courtesy to offer us coffee even, after all that big talk in Kolkata!” he grins ruefully.
His emotions plummeted daily as he phoned almost 200 companies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) prospecting for a job. Out of the 200 applications he sent in, he received answers to five, three of them rejections. The other two said they would keep his resume on file.
“I’ve taken up this telemarketing job just to keep myself going. I have a family to support. But I’m not giving up so quickly,” he promises himself.
Waiting for the first of the three buses that would reach her to her office, Lata waves to her daughter who is going to school. “It’ll get better. It has to. The important thing is to stick on,” she shrugs.
About the Author
Moushumi Chakrabarty has been writing for over ten years now and has been published in the print and electronic media. Her ebook, ‘Positive Thoughts for Writers’ is now available from www.echelonpress.com. She lives in Ontario, Canada and encourages those interested in get in touch with her on mou18ca@yahoo.com.